July 17, 2020

Science Sees Slight Uptick in House Spending Bills: Part 1

Posted by Caitlin Bergstrom

Amid negotiations for further relief packages surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the House is still moving forward with FY2021 spending bills. The House Committee on Appropriations has finished consideration of the major science funding bills. Over the next two posts, we will detail the spending and programmatic highlights for federal Earth and space science agencies. Today’s post covers the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Forest Service.

 

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

(In millions of dollars, rounded to the nearest million)

  FY20 FY21 PBR FY21 AGU Request FY21 House $ Change from FY20 % Change from FY20
NIEHS $ 802.60 $730.15 $860.30 $809.50 $6.90 0.86%
w/ Superfund Research Program $ 883.60 $803.84 $944.30 $892.50 $8.90 1.01%

 

Highlights from Bill and Committee Report:

 

  • The Committee encourages NIEHS to allocate the increased resources provided in FY21 to its Worker Training Program in a manner that best supports communities’ capacity to respond to pandemics and other natural disasters.
  • The bill encourages NIEHS to continue investing in research studying the short-term and long-term human health effects associated with acute and chronic exposures to toxins produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs).

 

Department of Energy (DOE)

(In millions of dollars, rounded to the nearest million)

  FY20 FY21 PBR FY21 AGU Request FY21 House $ Change from FY20 % Change from FY20
Office of Science $7,000.00

 

$5,837.81

 

$7,400.00

 

$7,050.00 $50.00 0.71%
ARPA-E $425.00 $0.00 $497.00 $435 $10.00 2.35%

 

Highlights from Bill and Committee Report:

 

DOE Office of Science:

  • The bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to focus DOE activities only on early-stage research and again provides support and funding for a comprehensive, balanced research portfolio.
  • The Committee applauds DOE’s new Critical Minerals Initiative and provides at least $107.5 million for critical minerals activities.
  • The report scolds DOE for not providing an implementation plan for negative emissions technologies, as was requested in the FY2020 appropriations bill.
  • The Committee provides at least $390 million for Biological Systems Science and at least $355 million for Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences; and encourages DOE to resume the Energy-Water Nexus crosscutting initiative.
  • Additionally, the bill provides an additional $6.25 billion for national laboratories, scientific user facilities, and universities to accelerate ongoing construction projects across the country as part of a COVID-19 supplemental.

 

ARPA-E:

  • The Committee once again rejects the Administration’s proposal to eliminate ARPA-E.
  • The Committee also prohibits DOE from using any funding to plan to execute the closing of ARPA-E.
  • Additionally, the report includes language directing DOE to disperse funds and grant money within a reasonable amount of time.
  • The bill also provides an additional $250 million for demonstrations of transformational energy technologies as part of a COVID-19 supplemental.

 

 

United States Geological Survey (USGS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS)

(In millions of dollars, rounded to the nearest million)

  FY20 FY21 PBR FY21 AGU Request FY21 House $ Change from FY20 % Change from FY20
USGS $1,270.96 $971.19 $1,350.00 $1,292.99 $22.03 1.73%
EPA $9,057.40 $6,700.00 $9,375.69 $318.29 3.51%
Forest & Rangeland Research $305.00 $249.33

 

$311.83 $6.83 2.24%

 

Highlights from Bill and Committee Report:

 

USGS:

  • The Committee modifies and expands upon the Administration’s proposed budget restructure, including:
    • Eliminating the Land Resources Mission Area.
    • Relocating the Land Change Science program and the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) to the Ecosystems Mission Area.
    • Relocating the National Land Imaging program to the Core Science Systems Mission Area.
    • Relocating the Environmental Health program to the Ecosystems Mission Area—rejecting the proposed elimination of the program.
    • Rejecting the proposed restructuring of the Water Resources Mission Area.
  • USGS is directed to expeditiously fill all staffing vacancies at CASCs in FY21 and to prioritize and expedite the distribution of funds to regional centers, including university consortia, to ensure timely obligations.
  • The Committee rejects the proposed reductions to Earthquake hazards, for which it provides an additional $1.64 million, and directs USGS to continue its development of an early earthquake warning system and its expansion into locations that will benefit from early detection and characterization of earthquakes and tsunamis.

 

EPA:

  • The Committee directs EPA to apply $504,000 to support the Agency’s ongoing research efforts as part of the Global Change Research Program.
  • EPA is encouraged by the Committee to conduct and support research that promotes scientific progress towards preventing and controlling harmful algal blooms (HABs) and is provided $6 million to investigate adverse health effects from exposure to HABs and cyanobacteria toxins and to develop methods to monitor, predict, and characterize blooms to allow for early action.
  • The Committee directs EPA to develop a definition for communities disproportionately exposed to climate change, pollution, and environmental destruction and expects the Agency to incorporate this definition into its ongoing environmental justice work.
  • The Committee expresses alarm regarding the Administration’s revisions to the Science Advisory Board (SAB) engagement process and notes its expectation that the EPA modify its SAB engagement process to comply with all legal requirements while improving the engagement process.

 

USFS Forest & Rangeland Research:

  • The Committee notes the interest of members of Congress, States, and stakeholders in funding specific research laboratories, programs, and projects and expects the Forest Service to develop a research program that reflects these priorities as well as the other activities and programs most critical to forest health, including climate change adaptation.

 

Next Steps

The House Committee on Appropriations powered through all twelve spending bills, which will next go to the full chamber for consideration on the House floor. The end of the fiscal year is looming, and it is expected that once the bills pass the House a continuing resolution will be needed to prevent a government shutdown if the Senate does not take action on their spending bills and reach a compromise with the House before 30 September.

 

How Can You Contribute?

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had a significant impact on congressional and federal agency operations, but on each of our lives. AGU is working to make our engagement with Congress more impactful, and we need your help. Tell us how COVID-19 is impacting you, your science, and your community. Personal examples and stories resonate best with legislators.